Slit Distance - Young's Double Slit Experiment

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on Young's Double Slit Experiment, which demonstrates the principles of constructive and destructive interference using a laser. Participants confirm that increasing the slit distance leads to a decrease in the distance between interference maxima, a relationship governed by mathematical principles. The conversation highlights the necessity of understanding vector mathematics to fully grasp the underlying concepts of interference phenomena. Additionally, there is a suggestion to challenge the corpuscular theory of light as part of the explanation.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Young's Double Slit Experiment
  • Basic knowledge of interference patterns
  • Familiarity with vector mathematics
  • Awareness of the corpuscular theory of light
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the mathematical derivation of interference patterns in Young's Double Slit Experiment
  • Learn about vector addition and its application in wave interference
  • Explore the differences between wave theory and corpuscular theory of light
  • Investigate the effects of slit width and distance on interference patterns
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, educators, and anyone interested in wave mechanics and optical phenomena will benefit from this discussion.

iambadatscience
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I understand Young's Double Slit Experiment, which basically consists of pointing a laser through two slits and seeing the maxima with different brightness, caused by constructive and destructive interference respectively. Through the experiment, I know that increasing the distance between the two slits will cause the distance between the maxima to decrease, which can be seen through the formula. However, I'm not too sure how to explain this in words, can anyone please explain to me why this occurs? Thanks :D
 
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Hmm. You did a fair job already. Any more detail and it would call for some Maths, I think. If people can't cope with the Maths of interference phenomena then they are unlikely to get any nearer than your basic verbal explanation. Let'f face it, the concept of vectors, which are the best (only?) explanation of the effect, is highly Mathematical, for a start.
I don't think you should feel guilty about not being able to 'explain' interference. You could, of course, use the opportunity to pooh pooh the corpuscular theory of light and set them straight in a major way.
 

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